The only Robin Hood that matters, more Wentworth, and a celebration of She-Ra!

Prison drama Wentworth has been renewed for a further 20 episodes, putting an end to fan fears that the show would conclude with its upcoming season. New episodes take the show through to 2021.

I can’t say much more than this thanks to an embargo, but last night I did see the second season return of The Marvelous Mrs Maisel at an Amazon event in Sydney.

The new She-Ra cartoon launched last weekend and has been hailed as a great step forward for LGBTQ representation on TV. Vox have a really good article on this.

That’s why the new She-Ra is so remarkable. Showrunner Noelle Stevenson (co-creator of the Lumberjanes comic book) has given She-Ra and her cohort emotional depth and humanity, while also telling a fantasy-adventure story that appeals to both kids and adults. Stevenson and her team stay true to She-Ra’s origin story: She’s a princess named Adora, brainwashed to fight on the side of evil (the Horde), who, by way of magic sword finds out her true destiny to fight on the side of the rebellion. But they also delve into Adora’s psyche and emotions, by asking thoughtful questions.

The article does mention the negative reaction, largely from guys online, from when they saw the first images from the new show.

Now, I’ll admit to not liking the visual aesthetic either (I’m sure I even mentioned it in ABW). But the Vox article did annoy me with one of the assumptions it made about why people didn’t care for the look.

This past summer, when She-Ra’s redesign was first revealed, a predominantly male faction of the internet got upset that She-Ra was a girl instead of a woman, and that the character had ditched her original go-go boots and short skirt for something more age-appropriate.

The implication being that male fans weren’t happy that the character was de-sexualised. Now, I don’t really care about her getting around in go-go boots and a short skirt. Heck, I think her look used to be rather silly. But, I do have an issue with the de-aging of the character. It’s part of the continual push for younger characters on screen - is there really something wrong with there being an adult? I haven’t done an audit at all, but it certainly feels like there are a lot more ‘girl’ heroes than adult women.

Why do your Netflix thumbnails look different to mine?